


Mechanisms

by Autumn_Kismet



Category: Irondad - Fandom, Ironman, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - Fandom, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Tony Stark - Fandom, peter parker - Fandom
Genre: Angst, PTSD, Post-Infinity War, The Avengers - Freeform, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark acting as Peter Parker’s parental figure, death mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 09:18:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15045821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autumn_Kismet/pseuds/Autumn_Kismet
Summary: Post-Infinity War, Tony Stark is relieved to know that his protege, Peter Parker is alive and well, with his spider-kid having no memory of his heartbreaking, untimely death. Peter, meanwhile, struggles with life at school and tries to cope with his newly over-protective guardians, May and Tony.





	Mechanisms

“Mr Stark… I don’t feel so good…” Peter’s shaky voice replays in Tony’s mind. The yellow and orange glow around the young face he sees in his mind burns his eyes.  
“You’re alright.” His own voice plays back this time. It’s never as deep as he remembers thinking it would be the first time his memories decided to torture him.  
“I don’t know- I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know what what’s happening…” Peter’s voice shakes, his words quick and his face painted with fear. More than fear. He looks weak, barely able to stand, and that’s quickly proven accurate as he moves forward and collapses into Tony’s arms. His arms grip the older man’s back tightly, and Tony tries to hold back his own fear and devastation while literally holding Peter together. He’s just a kid. 

“I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna go… Sir, please… please, I don’t wanna go…” Peter trembles, holding back tears. The weight of the world seems to bear down on them as Tony gives in to the gravity and they slowly fall to the ground, Tony’s arms still engulfed around the dying teenager before him. He’s just a goddamn kid! “I don’t wanna go,” Peter continues, crying. He’s laying on the ground now, and he’s fighting it. He’s fighting it so hard, he really doesn’t want to go and there’s nothing Tony can do to keep him here. The tremble in Peter’s voice is gone for a second as he goes silent. The lungs in Tony’s chest feel aflame. He can’t breathe, and he can’t bring himself to cry. He can’t show Peter that he’s scared. Not now. Not now. Peter’s face turns toward his mentor, he’s pale and he’s fading. “I’m sorry.” Peter whispers to him. Of course, even during his final breaths he’s apologising! If anything, Tony thinks, it’s him that should be saying sorry. He wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Tony. He would be safe back on Earth, and- would that even make a difference? Tony doesn’t know. He looks back down at the kid before him, feeling his heart shatter as his protege turns to dust, blowing out of existence by the winds of time itself.

There’s a moment of burning intensity, everything is still happening around him, but none of it matters. He knows he’ll get to it in a matter of seconds, but now all he can do is fight the rage, and the fear, and the shear, pure pain inside of him. Peter was just a kid. His kid. He couldn’t possibly have understood what was happening to him in his final moments. He shouldn’t have had to. He deserved so much better than what he got, and- no. How is he going to tell May? How is he going to break the news to someone that her last remaining relative is gone and that it’s because of him? That is, Tony realises, if May didn’t suffer the same fate herself… 

It’s all too real; the thoughts, the feelings, the experience. Tony jolts upright, looking around his bedroom - well, his second bedroom. This one, housed safely in the new Avengers building, is a little less luxurious than his Malibu home, but it’s where he needs to be for a while. He checks the time on the lock screen of his phone, it’s four in the morning. Of course it is. This wouldn’t be the first time he’s relived the horrors of losing not only friends, but Peter Parker. The teenaged boy that has changed his life one “Mr Stark” at a time. Tony shifts the heavy blanket from his legs, swinging them around to the floor to stand up. He’s doing it again, despite having promised himself that last time was the last time… for the fourth time. 

The early morning sky is dark, and Tony assumes the air outside of the Ironman suit would be somewhat chilly. There are no people on the streets of New York below, just cars keeping the road from feeling lonely at this obscure hour. He doesn’t dawdle during his flight, but he’s not in a rush either, and after a few minutes he spots the window to Peter’s bedroom. He hovers for a moment, then retracts the mask and looks at the peacefully sleeping teenager on the other side of the glass, his dark blue bed sheets wrinkled by his probable tossing and turning earlier in the night. His arm is draped off the side of the bed, knuckles grazing the floor, and mouth wide open. Tony chuckles quietly to himself, simply happy to be able to see that the boy is safe. Happy to see that he’s able to sleep peacefully, without memory of what happened on Titan to haunt him. 

Now, Tony knows that it seems creepy for 48 year old man to be looking in on a 16 year old boy as he sleeps, but it’s necessary if he ever expects to get back to sleep. Sometimes he just needs to know that his web-head prodigy is safe and sound, and being able to see his chest rise and fall as he breathes is the only way to do that. A small beam of light suddenly emits from beside Peter’s head, and Tony, intrigued, inches slightly to the left for a better look. It’s Peter’s phone. Who would be texting him at this god forsaken hour? The screen lights up again, this time with a ding, and Peter stirs for a moment before adjusting himself in his cocoon of blankets and swiftly falling straight back to sleep all without even opening his eyes. 

Tony doesn’t know how long he watches Peter for, but as he begins to notice some foot traffic below, he decides it’s probably been more than enough time. As the face of the Ironman suit covers his own and he’s about to fly off, he takes a last glance at Peter, fast asleep, and safe and sound. Relief washes over him and he takes a deep breath as he heads off, intending to find sleep himself once he reaches home. No one knows about Tony’s late-night trips to Peter’s window. He’s unsure of whether or not anyone could understand. Stepping out of the suit and making sure everything is just as it was before he woke up, Tony wanders back toward his room and falls asleep. 

#

Peter is a good kid. He completes his homework on time, doesn’t talk back to teachers, and doesn’t abuse his powers. Ned happened to discover this much today when witnessing the event that has lead to him sitting by Peter in the nurse’s office with a bloody nose and bruised eye socket.  
“Why didn’t you just dodge the ball?” Ned whispers to Peter.  
“By the time I saw it, it would have been suspicious if I were able to dodge it in time!” Peter whispers back quickly to his best friend. Ned and Peter have been friends for a long time, and aside from May and the Avengers team (and staff), is the only other person to know about his spidey-senses.  
“Mr Stark isn’t going to be impressed when you see him after school,” Ned warns, as if Peter hadn’t already had his face beaten the ball Flash had hurled at him. Peter sighs heavily as the nurse returns to the room with a hand full of bagged ice cubes wrapped in brown paper towel.  
“Thank you!” Peter smiles at her, really noticing the headache now, as he takes the ice and quickly pressing it to his face. She nods her head with a quick smile back at him before turning to Ned.  
“Okay, young man,” she begins, “Don’t you think your friend here can take care of himself?” 

Finding his feet quickly, Ned nods at Peter and the nurse and is back on his way to in a jiffy.  
“Is there a parent I can call?” the grey haired woman asks Peter once they’re alone. He thinks for a very brief second before shaking his head no. He blinks away the distant memory of his long-deceased parents, and without hesitation another face comes to mind. His Aunt May. Ever-loving, ever-careful is Peter’s well-being, his Aunt May is always in the back of his mind, Peter has come to find. She and his Uncle Ben had taken him in after the plane crash that took his parents, suffering through the loss of a sibling while gaining a nephew somewhat closer to a son. Peter wasn’t sure how May was going to take the news when he found out that his Uncle Ben had been killed, but their grief has brought them closer over the past couple of years, the only real concern now was just how overprotective May could be, especially since finding out his spidey-secret… and about the time he left the entire planet without her permission and then died. He supposes he understands where she’s coming from when she reminds him. 

Despite his aunt’s status as his only legal guardian, Peter let’s another name slip.  
“Tony Stark.”  
“T-Tony Stark?” The nurse looks at him as if he must be playing a funny joke on her, which is confusing because as far as the boy in front of her had behaved for the previous 25 minutes in her office, she didn’t think he would be one to play pranks.  
“Yes, ma’am,” Peter confirms, trying to make his face look as honest as possible. “His details are in my record and everything as one of my emergency contacts.”  
He watches as the older woman flicks through his file for a moment before she stops and pauses, drawing her finger down the page and tapping it a few times.  
“So he is…” she mumbles to herself, “My apologies.”  
“Oh, it’s okay!” Peter beams, feeling his head throb even harder at his sudden neck movement.  
“Now, now,” the nurse tuts at him, “Don’t you move yourself around. I’ll give Mr Stark a call and you lay back a little bit until the aspirin kicks in. We don’t want that nasty concussion to cause any more trouble for you.” 

Ah, yes, a concussion. A minor detail left undiscussed between Peter and Ned is that when the ball hit Peter’s face, the back of Peter’s head collided with bleachers behind him as he fell. Hard. The result was a mild concussion, as diagnosed by the school nurse after Peter had thrown up and reported seeing black spots in his vision.  
“Thank you,” Peter responds, embarrassed by the fact that he has taken on much bigger and scarier rivals than Flash and a dodgeball without injury. He knows just how worried May will be when she finds out, unless he finds a way to convince Tony not to divulge the situation… 

#

The room is almost dark, the sun having begun to set, and Peter sits up a little on the couch in one of Tony’s offices at the new Avengers building. He’s tried to stay awake for a several hours now, with Tony coming and checking in at every opportunity. Thankfully the lack of light has helped ease Peter’s headache, and what he knows the bruising has come through, the skin of his face doesn’t feel as tight and swollen as before. Maybe, he thinks, he could just get away with this without May finding out.  
“Alright,” Tony’s voice echos softly in the hallway, “Yeah, he’s fine. He’s just resting in my office, I’m about to check in on him now. May- yes, you’re right, I know. Next time you will be the first to know. I’m sure the kid just doesn’t want to worry you,” Tony’s voice pauses for a few moments, and Peter stands up to turn on the light… and to listen in better on Tony’s phone call. “How about I pass on Bruce’s number and the good doctor himself can fill you in? I stopped listening after he said Pete was gonna be fine. Okay, alright, have a good night, May.” 

Peter quickly scurries back to the couch, silently reveling in the fact that one of the few people that Tony Stark is mildly afraid of is his Aunt May. Within seconds the door to the office opens, and there’s Tony. His faded black hair, the gentle crows feet around his eyes, and a small device in his ear.  
“How’re you feeling, spider-kid?” He chuckles, shaking his head slowly.  
“I’m much better, Mr Stark!” Peter assures him with a smile and a nod, “I was actually wondering I could get some patrolling in tonight?”  
Tony laughs at the boy before him, ever-endeared by his puppy-like enthusiasm and eagerness.  
“Please, Mr Stark,” Peter widens his eyes, “I’m fine, I swear!”  
“Kid, you’re all beaten up! Your face is bruised and you have a concussion. It’s no school and no patrolling for the rest of the week.”  
“But it’s Thursday, all the bad guys are out on Fridays and Saturdays!” Peter begs, “Please, Mr Stark?”  
It’s impossible to say no to Peter, but as he’s slowly learning, sometimes saying no is for the best. What would he do if something were to happen to Peter? If he passed out somewhere from the concussion, or got himself even more hurt because he can’t focus? Tony would never be able to forgive himself.  
“For the millionth time, Pete, it’s Tony. And no, you’ll be staying home where it’s safe.”  
“Sorry, Mr Stark…” Peter mumbles, completely unaware that he’d ignored Tony’s request to call him by his first name - again. 

Peter feels a strong hand on the back of his shoulder, patting him a few times as Tony tells him it’s okay and that he just wants to keep him safe. He knows that Tony worries about him, especially since he died. He and May are always worried about him now. The first few weeks after everything happened were intense, Peter’s sure that Tony didn’t give himself any time to recover from everything he had to go through. It was just Tony and May, and May and Tony, and then just May, and then just Tony, and then Tony, May, and a psychologist, and finally just a psychologist - one which Peter was glad to have only needed to see twice. He had felt completely bombarded with the constant attention, but once it was safely established that no one on Earth remembered dying, Peter was able to latch onto that explanation for not opening up. Even if, in his case, it was a lie. 

He feels bad, he really does, keeping it from May and Tony, but it’s scary. He remembers the fear, and the burning, and the way his body began to feel like white noise no matter how hard he fought to stay. He can still hear his own voice, and see the heartbreak in Tony’s eyes. Sometimes it feels like it’s happening again, and he wants to cry out, but he has to hold himself together. He doesn’t want to disappear, he never wants to feel that way again. He’s glad no one else remembers because it’s excruciating, but he can’t help but wonder if he’s the only one… Why does he remember when none of the other people on Earth do? It doesn’t make sense, but maybe, he thinks, some of the other Avengers remember too, and he’s not alone after all. Peter just hopes that Tony stays out of contact with the other Avengers that disintegrated, just in case, because the fact is that even though Tony believes that Peter doesn’t remember, he does… and maybe he had let himself get hurt in hopes of forgetting…

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I’ll be updating this as I write it, basically haha I used to love chaptered fics so I’m really excited to start a new one! Please leave nice comments because I’m still getting back into this and I’ve been very anxious about posting! 
> 
> I love and appreciate all the support, and I hope you like this!
> 
> I have like no friends, so please follow me on twitter @autumn_kismet, my fics are also on tumblr at @autumnkismet (my personal tumblr is now @peenidbutter) lmao


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